GE “44-Tonner” Locomotives: Roster, Specs, History
Last revised: September 20, 2026
By: Adam Burns
General Electric’s 44-tonner was the 90,000-pound-rule engine. A 1937 labor agreement said a diesel on a common carrier needed a fireman once it weighed 45 tons. GE answered with a center-cab switcher that scaled 88,000 to 89,000 pounds in working order—just under. Two small diesels, usually Caterpillar D17000 V8s, sat one under each hood. Four traction motors. Thirty-five miles an hour. A 50-foot curve. Erie, Pennsylvania, built them from September 4, 1940 (Chicago, Burlington & Quincy #9103, serial 12908) through October 1956 (Dansville & Mount Morris #1, serial 32664). The Pennsylvania took the largest Class I fleet, 46 units. Short lines and industries took the rest, and many still remain in service.
GE did not invent the 44-ton idea. Davenport-Besler, Whitcomb, Vulcan, and Porter constructed many small switchers to the same weigh. Davenport's Rock Island #351, compled in February, 1939, was first. Howver, GE would ultimately sell the most.
Middletown & New Jersey 44-tonner #2 and its crew at the railroad’s engine house in Middletown, New York, January 1977. Photographer unknown. American-Rails.com collection.
On this page: At a glance · The 90,000-pound rule · Center cab, two engines · Phases I–V · Who bought them · Military and drop-cab · Data sheet · Production roster · What remains
At a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Builder | General Electric, Erie, Pennsylvania. Sold by weight, not a GE model letter—“44-tonner” |
| Type | B-B diesel-electric center-cab switcher |
| Why 44 tons | 1937 “90,000 Pound Rule.” Under 45 tons, a common-carrier diesel could run with an engineer and no fireman |
| First GE unit | CB&Q #9103, serial 12908, delivered September 4, 1940 |
| Last catalog unit | Dansville & Mount Morris #1, serial 32664, October 1956 |
| Production (phases I–V) | 370 spotting-guide units (79+43+34+171+43). Extra 2200 South / Wikipedia counts in the mid-380s once export and odd-gauge sisters are in |
| Typical engines | Two Caterpillar D17000 V8s, about 380 hp combined (some Phase IV 400). Also Hercules DFXD (9), Buda 6DH1742 (10), Caterpillar D342 (last 4) |
| Length / speed | 33 ft 5 in. 35 mph. Minimum curve about 50 ft radius |
| Weight | 88,000–89,000 lb as built |
| Largest Class I fleet | Pennsylvania Railroad, 46 (9312–9357) |
| Related | Military drop-cab 45-ton (not this roster). GE 70-tonner for light branches |
Phase counts follow the live spotting sequence and Rapido’s masterclass. First and last serials follow Extra 2200 South / The Diesel Shop (John Komanesky). Information compiled September 20, 2026.
The 90,000-pound rule
Dieselization threatened the fireman. In 1937 the operating unions and the carriers wrote a yard-and-switching rule: a diesel that put 90,000 pounds or more on the rail required a second man in the cab, the same as steam. Industrial plants and the military were outside the agreement. Common carriers were not. Forty-five tons became a cliff. Several builders parked a locomotive just under it. Jerry Pinkepank, in The Second Diesel Spotter’s Guide, and Brian Solomon, in GE Locomotives, both put GE’s 44-tonner in that sentence.
The weight in working order—fuel, sand, water in the cooling system—was the number that mattered. GE advertised 88,000 to 89,000 pounds. That is 44 short tons on the nose and a little left for the shop to add a plow or a radio without walking over the line. Crews still called them 44-tonners after some owners ballasted them heavier. The Army drop-cabs, built for European clearances, often weighed a full 45 tons. Those are cousins, not this catalog.
Jay Reed, in Critters, Dinkys & Centercabs, puts GE’s industrial line from a 25-tonner in 1938 through 144-ton end-cabs. The 44-tonner was the one Class I mechanical departments would actually buy, because it replaced a steam switcher without a fireman. Industries bought it anyway: short wheelbase, four motors, and a curve a mill track could live with.
Center cab, welded trucks, two engines
The carbody is symmetrical: raised cab in the middle, a tapered hood at each end, running boards, and a look that railfans still pick out of a mill at a hundred yards. Bob Hayden, in Diesel Locomotives: Cyclopedia, Volume 2, notes the B-B trucks were an all-welded design. Most switcher trucks of the period were cast. Four GE 733 traction motors, 33-inch wheels, truck wheelbase 6 feet 10 inches. Two GT-555 main generators. Westinghouse 14EL brakes. Fuel 250 gallons. Length over coupler pulling faces, 33 feet 5 inches. Height to cab roof, 13 feet 3 inches. Width, 10 feet 1 inch. Starting tractive effort about 26,400 pounds at 30 percent adhesion; continuous about 13,000 pounds at 12 mph. Top speed 35 mph. Some later units had multiple-unit. None had dynamic brakes.
Most cars carried a pair of Caterpillar D17000 V8s, 5¾ by 8-inch bore and stroke, 1,000 rpm. Early ratings were as low as 150 horsepower each; the catalog settled around 190 each, 380 combined. GE’s own 1947 apparatus booklet is titled 380-HP, 44-Ton Diesel Electric Railroad Locomotive: For Yard Switching and Road Service. Sixty-two Phase IV units were rated 400 horsepower. Louis Marre, in Diesel Locomotives: The First 50 Years, records ten locomotives with Buda 6DH1742 inline-sixes at 205 horsepower each. Nine used Hercules DFXD sixes: Chattanooga Traction 1–2 and the Missouri Pacific family—Missouri Pacific 800–801 and 811, International-Great Northern 812, Beaumont, Sour Lake & Western 815, St. Louis, Brownsville & Mexico 813–814. The last four catalog units, Canadian National 3–5 and Dansville & Mount Morris 1, used Caterpillar D342 sixes at 200 horsepower each.
GE had been in railroad electrical gear since the 1890s and, with Alco and Ingersoll-Rand, in early boxcab diesels. Jay Street Connecting #4 of October 1918 is the builder-hub story. The 44-tonner is the first GE diesel a lot of Class I roads actually rostered in quantity.
Phases I through V
Sixteen years at Erie produced five spotting phases. Production of III and IV overlapped in 1945. The first unit is still CB&Q 9103. The last standard-gauge catalog unit is still Dansville & Mount Morris 1, October 1956. Colorado Fuel & Iron 21 and 22, May 1957, are 36-inch-gauge sisters after that date.
| Phase | Qty | Dates | Spotting |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | 79 | Sept 1940–Oct 1942 | Radiator louvers near the end of both hoods; access ladder centered over the forward left truck |
| II | 43 | Dec 1942–May 1943 | Radiator shutters moved to the hood ends; ladders at all four corners of the frame |
| III | 34 | Nov 1943–June 1945 | “French doors” on the hoods instead of single-panel access doors; larger doors under the cab |
| IV | 171 | March 1945–Sept 1951 | Small rectangular air intake at the top of the hood. Largest group. 62 rated 400 hp instead of 380 |
| V | 43 | Nov 1951–Oct 1956 | Rectangular instead of rounded headlight casings; stiffening ridges stamped into the hood doors. Last four: Caterpillar D342 |
Phase I–V total 370. Rapido’s masterclass matches these counts and calls Dansville & Mount Morris 1 the 373rd in a slightly different commercial tally. Use serials, not phase letters, when a unit sits on the boundary.
Class I fleets and mill tracks
Alexander Railroad 44-tonner #3 eastbound at Stony Point, North Carolina, with six boxcars and two loads of pulpwood for the Southern interchange at Statesville, 1960s. The short line is still in business. Warren Calloway photo.
GE meant the design for common-carrier switching. Industries took it because 380 horsepower, four motors, and a 33-foot engine fit a plant lead. The Diesel Shop’s Class I review still lists about thirty North American Class Is that bought the 88,000-pound center-cab.
Pennsylvania 9312–9357, 46 units, 1947–50, is the big fleet—more than the next two Class Is together. New Haven 0800–0818 is 19. Boston & Maine 110–119 is 10. Missouri Pacific and its Texas papers put a Hercules cluster on the Gulf: MP 800–801 and 811, I-GN 812, Beaumont, Sour Lake & Western 815, St. Louis, Brownsville & Mexico 813–814. Santa Fe 460–468, nine units. Lackawanna 51–53. Erie 26, later Erie Lackawanna. B&O 19–20, later 8300s. Frisco 4–8. Southern and three subsidiaries, seven units in 1945. Pacific Electric 1650–1654. New York, Ontario & Western 101–105, a five-unit dieselization on a railroad that did not have many diesels to spare.
Short lines kept them longer than the Class Is. Arcade & Attica 110 and 111 dieselized that road in the 1940s; 111 was still a spare into the 2020s. Alexander 2 is the 1946 serial 28502 in the roster; the Calloway photograph is lettered 3. Middletown & Unionville 1, April 1946, is the Orange County ancestor of the Middletown & New Jersey engine in the photograph at the top of this page.
Military 44-ton and drop-cab 45-ton
The Air Force, Army, and Navy all bought 44-tonners. Fourteen Phase V units for the Air Force and Navy were two feet shorter to meet loading limits—hood ends almost vertical, truck centers pulled in. The Army also took a drop-cab 45-ton for foreign clearances: lower cab, compressor boxes on the running boards, buffers and screw couplings on overseas examples, often ballasted to 45 tons despite the 44-ton name. Pinkepank put about 91 military drop-cabs in that family; the GE hub table prints 94. Indian Railways took 31 of the drop-cabs. Portugal bought twelve Iberian-gauge examples in 1949, 1101–1112. Those locomotives are not in the commercial serial table below. The Diesel Shop keeps a separate military 44-ton list (USAF 1236–1246, Army 7000s, Navy 65-000xx).
Four Lend-Lease units went to Australia in 1944 and became New South Wales 79 class 7920–7923. Two later worked Commonwealth Railways as DE90 and DE91. That is export of the standard 44-ton, not the drop-cab.
Data sheet and specifications
Figures follow GE’s 1947 380-hp booklet, Hayden, and the live American-Rails sheet. Horsepower and engine make vary as above.
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Entered production | September 1940 (CB&Q #9103, serial 12908) |
| Years produced | September 1940–October 1956 (CF&I 36-inch 21–22, May 1957) |
| Engine (typical) | Two Caterpillar D17000 V8, 5¾ × 8 in, 1,000 rpm |
| Horsepower | 380 typical; some Phase IV 400; Buda pair about 410; early D17000s lower |
| Length | 33 ft 5 in |
| Height (rail to cab top) | 13 ft 3 in |
| Width | 10 ft 1 in |
| Weight | 88,000–89,000 lb |
| Fuel | 250 gallons |
| Brakes | Westinghouse 14EL |
| Trucks | B-B, welded, 6 ft 10 in wheelbase, 33 in wheels |
| Traction motors | GE 733 (4) |
| Main generators | GE GT-555 (2) |
| Auxiliary generators | GMG-140 (2) |
| MU / dynamics | MU on some later units. No dynamic brake |
| Starting tractive effort | 26,400 lb at 30% adhesion |
| Continuous tractive effort | 13,000 lb at 12 mph |
| Top speed | 35 mph |
Production roster
Original owners, road numbers, GE construction numbers, and completion dates. Serials stay in their own column. One row per builder batch when serials differ. Extra 2200 South and The Diesel Shop (John Komanesky; Moser and Lehmuth builder records) are the list. Military drop-cabs are not in these tables. Hercules, Buda, and D342 engines are noted where they break the D17000 default.
United States
| Owner | Road numbers | Qty | Serial | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alexander Railroad | 2 | 1 | 28502 | 7/1946 | Calloway photo lettered 3 |
| Almanor Railroad | 106 | 1 | 28340 | 12/1946 | Order 281-4456 |
| Amador Central | 8 | 1 | 27980 | 5/1945 | |
| Arcade & Attica | 110 | 1 | 12947 | 6/1941 | |
| Arcade & Attica | 111 | 1 | 28346 | 4/1947 | Order 281-4456 |
| Arkansas Valley | 92, 93 | 2 | 12912, 12913 | 9/1940 | |
| Aroostook Valley | 10, 11 | 2 | 27799, 27800 | 6/1945 | |
| Aroostook Valley | 12 | 1 | 30246 | 9/1949 | |
| Santa Fe | 460, 461 | 2 | 15760, 15761 | 12/1942 | |
| Santa Fe | 462 | 1 | 17927 | 7/1943 | |
| Santa Fe | 463–468 | 6 | 18151–18156 | 12/1943 | |
| Atlantic & East Carolina | 7 | 1 | 15766 | 2/1943 | |
| Atlantic & East Carolina | 8 | 1 | 18145 | 11/1943 | |
| Baltimore & Ohio | 19, 20 | 2 | 30470, 30471 | 9/1950, 10/1950 | Order 281-4418. Later 8300s |
| Bath & Hammondsport | D-1 | 1 | 30250 | 9/1949 | |
| Beaumont, Sour Lake & Western (MP) | 815 | 1 | 13181 | 1/1942 | Hercules DFXD |
| Birmingham Southeastern | 199 | 1 | 31229 | 5/1953 | |
| Boston & Maine | 110–112 | 3 | 12915–12917 | 11/1940 | |
| Boston & Maine | 113 | 1 | 12943 | 11/1940 | |
| Boston & Maine | 114–116 | 3 | 13092–13094 | 7/1941 | |
| Boston & Maine | 117 | 1 | 15036 | 8/1942 | |
| Boston & Maine | 118, 119 | 2 | 29076, 29974 | 12/1947, 6/1948 | |
| Boyne City Railroad | 70 | 1 | 30472 | 9/1950 | |
| Calco Chemical / American Cyanamid | 5 | 1 | 28342 | 2/1947 | |
| Camino, Placerville & Lake Tahoe | 101 | 1 | 31231 | 6/1953 | |
| Carnegie-Illinois Steel | 5 | 1 | 17929 | 7/1943 | |
| Carnegie-Illinois Steel | 443 | 1 | 15755 | 12/1942 | |
| Central California Traction | 25 | 1 | 28339 | 12/1946 | |
| Central California Traction | 26 | 1 | 28333 | 11/1946 | |
| Central Warehouse Company | (none) | 1 | 31115 | 7/1951 | |
| Chattanooga Traction | 1, 2 | 2 | 13014, 13015 | 4/1941 | Hercules DFXD |
| Chattanooga Traction | 3 | 1 | 18159 | 1/1944 | |
| Chicago, Burlington & Quincy | 9103 | 1 | 12908 | 9/1940 | First GE 44-tonner, Sept 4 |
| Chicago, Burlington & Quincy | 9104–9107 | 4 | 12949–12952 | 2/1941–3/1941 | |
| Milwaukee Road | 1690 | 1 | 12909 | 9/1940 | Second GE 44-tonner |
| Milwaukee Road | 1700, 1701 | 2 | 15039, 15040 | 11/1941 | |
| Colorado Fuel & Iron | 1 | 1 | 12953 | 10/1940 | 36-inch gauge |
| Colorado Fuel & Iron | 2 | 1 | 29196 | 6/1947 | 36-inch gauge |
| Colorado Fuel & Iron | 21, 22 | 2 | 32970, 32971 | 5/1957 | 36-inch gauge, after catalog end |
| Coudersport & Port Allegany | D-1 | 1 | 28503 | 8/1946 | |
| Coudersport & Port Allegany | D-2 | 1 | 30850 | 12/1950 | |
| Dansville & Mount Morris | 1 | 1 | 32664 | 10/1956 | Last catalog unit. Caterpillar D342 |
| Delaware, Lackawanna & Western | 51–53 | 3 | 29986–29988 | 10/1948–11/1948 | |
| Denver & Rio Grande Western | 38 | 1 | 13096 | 8/1941 | |
| Denver & Rio Grande Western | 39 | 1 | 15123 | 9/1942 | |
| Denver & Rio Grande Western | 40–43 | 4 | 15127–15130 | 9/1942–10/1942 | |
| Electric Energy, Inc. | 1–3 | 3 | 31218–31220 | 11/1951 | |
| Erie | 26 | 1 | 28504 | 9/1946 | Later EL 26 |
| Fernwood, Columbia & Gulf | D-1–D-3 | 3 | 18195–18197 | 3/1945–4/1945 | |
| Fernwood, Columbia & Gulf | D-4 | 1 | 28347 | 4/1947 | |
| Fibreboard Products | 1 | 1 | 29071 | 10/1947 | |
| General Electric (demonstrator) | 1950 | 1 | 30257 | 3/1950 | |
| Grafton & Upton | 9, 10 | 2 | 28497, 28498 | 7/1946 | |
| Granite City Steel | 200 | 1 | 15763 | 12/1942 | |
| Great Northern | 5200, 5201 | 2 | 12910, 12911 | 9/1940 | |
| Hampton & Branchville | 42, 43 | 2 | 31111, 31112 | 6/1951 | |
| Hartwell Railway | 2 | 1 | 30253 | 2/1950 | |
| Helena Southwestern | 300 | 1 | 29985 | 10/1948 | |
| High Point, Thomasville & Denton | 101 | 1 | 18180 | 10/1944 | |
| Hoboken Manufacturers | 700, 701 | 2 | 29070, 29073 | 11/1947 | |
| Illinois Central | 9275 | 1 | 29072 | 11/1947 | |
| International-Great Northern (MP) | 812 | 1 | 13178 | 1/1942 | Hercules DFXD |
| Kansas City Power & Light | 5 | 1 | 27797 | 6/1945 | |
| Kansas City Power & Light | 6 | 1 | 30248 | 9/1949 | |
| Laurinburg & Southern | 100 | 1 | 28495 | 6/1946 | |
| Lehigh Valley | 60–62 | 3 | 15033–15035 | 12/1941, 2/1942, 8/1942 | |
| Long Island | 400 | 1 | 30854 | 12/1950 | |
| Lowville & Beaver River | 1947 | 1 | 28345 | 4/1947 | |
| Maine Central | 11 | 1 | 13095 | 9/1941 | |
| Maine Central | 12 | 1 | 15037 | 8/1942 | |
| Maine Central | 13–15 | 3 | 27973–27975 | 5/1945 | |
| Maine Central | 16 | 1 | 28488 | 5/1945 | |
| Maine Central | 17 | 1 | 28348 | 6/1947 | |
| Manistee & Northeastern | 1 | 1 | 28501 | 8/1946 | Later C&O 8303 |
| Middletown & Unionville | 1 | 1 | 28487 | 4/1946 | Middletown & New Jersey ancestor |
| Minneapolis & St. Louis | D-149 | 1 | 29994 | 11/1948 | |
| Minneapolis & St. Louis | D-742 | 1 | 15122 | 9/1942 | |
| Minneapolis & St. Louis | D-842 | 1 | 15124 | 8/1942 | |
| Soo Line | 330 | 1 | 12944 | 6/1941 | |
| Mississippi Export | 44 | 1 | 12914 | 10/1940 | |
| Mississippi Export | 45 | 1 | 12945 | 12/1940 | |
| Missouri & Illinois Bridge & Belt | 100 | 1 | 15024 | 8/1941 | |
| Missouri Pacific | 800, 801 | 2 | 12974, 12975 | 2/1941 | Hercules DFXD |
| Missouri Pacific | 811 | 1 | 13177 | 1/1942 | Hercules DFXD |
| Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis | 100–103 | 4 | 30460–30463 | 6/1950–7/1950 | |
| Nelson & Albemarle | 1 | 1 | 30856 | 1/1951 | |
| Nickel Plate | 90 | 1 | 30249 | 9/1949 | |
| New York, New Haven & Hartford | 0800 | 1 | 12946 | 1/1941 | |
| New York, New Haven & Hartford | 0801, 0802 | 2 | 13097, 13101 | 9/1941 | |
| New York, New Haven & Hartford | 0803–0805 | 3 | 13025–13027 | 11/1941 | |
| New York, New Haven & Hartford | 0806 | 1 | 13100 | 12/1941 | |
| New York, New Haven & Hartford | 0807–0811 | 5 | 18184–18188 | 2/1945–3/1945 | |
| New York, New Haven & Hartford | 0812–0815 | 4 | 18190–18193 | 3/1945 | |
| New York, New Haven & Hartford | 0816 | 1 | 27794 | 6/1945 | |
| New York, New Haven & Hartford | 0817, 0818 | 2 | 29080, 29081 | 12/1947 | |
| New York, Ontario & Western | 101–105 | 5 | 15028–15032 | 12/1941–1/1942 | |
| Northern Pacific | 98 | 1 | 28496 | 6/1946 | |
| Northern Pacific | 99 | 1 | 15765 | 3/1943 | |
| Omaha, Lincoln & Beatrice | 101 | 1 | 30849 | 12/1950 | |
| Pacific Electric | 1650, 1651 | 2 | 17921, 17926 | 6/1943 | |
| Pacific Electric | 1652–1654 | 3 | 18181–18183 | 10/1944 | |
| Pennsylvania | 9312, 9313 | 2 | 29992, 29993 | 3/1949, 2/1949 | |
| Pennsylvania | 9314–9324 | 11 | 30132–30142 | 3/1949–5/1949 | |
| Pennsylvania | 9325–9327 | 3 | 29077–29079 | 11/1947 | |
| Pennsylvania | 9328–9340 | 13 | 29961–29973 | 6/1948–10/1948 | |
| Pennsylvania | 9341–9349 | 9 | 29975–29983 | 10/1948–12/1948 | |
| Pennsylvania | 9350–9353 | 4 | 30143–30146 | 5/1949 | |
| Pennsylvania | 9354–9356 | 3 | 30243–30245 | 8/1949 | |
| Pennsylvania | 9357 | 1 | 30254 | 2/1950 | |
| Petaluma & Santa Rosa | 1 | 1 | 28338 | 12/1946 | |
| Pine Flat Dam Contractors | 2850, 2851 | 2 | 30464, 30465 | 8/1950 | |
| Pine Flat Dam Contractors | 2852 | 1 | 30848 | 12/1950 | |
| Pine Flat Dam Contractors | 2853 | 1 | 30473 | 9/1950 | |
| Point Comfort & Northern | 2 | 1 | 29990 | 11/1948 | |
| Pullman-Standard | 7 | 1 | 28343 | 3/1947 | |
| Quincy Railroad | 3 | 1 | 27819 | 9/1945 | |
| St. Louis, Brownsville & Mexico (MP) | 813, 814 | 2 | 13179, 13180 | 2/1942, 1/1942 | Hercules DFXD |
| Frisco | 4, 5 | 2 | 17922, 17923 | 6/1943 | |
| Frisco | 6 | 1 | 17936 | 8/1943 | |
| Frisco | 7, 8 | 2 | 18157, 18158 | 1/1944 | |
| St. Paul Union Depot | 441 | 1 | 12948 | 5/1941 | |
| Sacramento Northern | 142, 143 | 2 | 28331, 28332 | 11/1946 | |
| Sacramento Northern | 144–146 | 3 | 28334–28336 | 11/1946 | |
| San Francisco & Napa Valley | 30, 40 | 2 | 15120, 15121 | 4/1942 | |
| San Francisco & Napa Valley | 50 | 1 | 17928 | 8/1943 | |
| Sheffield Steel | 5 | 1 | 27560 | 1/1944 | |
| Sheffield Steel | 6 | 1 | 18178 | 3/1944 | |
| Sheffield Steel | 7 | 1 | 29984 | 9/1948 | |
| Sheffield Steel | 8 | 1 | 30247 | 9/1949 | |
| Sheffield Steel | 9 | 1 | 30474 | 10/1950 | |
| Skaneateles Short Line | 6 | 1 | 30847 | 12/1950 | |
| Southern Pacific | 1900–1902 | 3 | 15114–15116 | 8/1942 | |
| Southern | 1950–1953 | 4 | 27822–27825 | 9/1945 | |
| Alabama Great Southern (Southern) | 6520 | 1 | 27826 | 10/1945 | |
| Cincinnati, New Orleans & Texas Pacific (Southern) | 6010 | 1 | 27828 | 10/1945 | |
| New Orleans & Northeastern (Southern) | 6840 | 1 | 27827 | 10/1945 | |
| South Carolina State Ports | 101 | 1 | 29989 | 1/1949 | |
| South Carolina State Ports | 102 | 1 | 31113 | 6/1951 | |
| Springfield Suburban | 500, 511 | 2 | 28499, 28500 | 8/1946 | |
| Suncook Valley | 3 | 1 | 31114 | 7/1951 | |
| Swift & Company | 400 | 1 | 27798 | 6/1945 | Phosphate rock mine |
| Tidewater Southern | 135 | 1 | 28337 | 11/1946 | |
| Union Freight | 1–5 | 5 | 28490–28494 | 6/1946 | |
| Union Pacific | DS1399 | 1 | 28344 | 3/1947 | |
| Upper Merion & Plymouth | 56 | 1 | 30252 | 2/1950 | |
| Upper Merion & Plymouth | 57 | 1 | 30855 | 12/1950 | |
| Upper Merion & Plymouth | 58 | 1 | 31116 | 7/1951 | |
| Upper Merion & Plymouth | 59 | 1 | 31232 | 6/1952 | |
| Visalia Electric | 501, 502 | 2 | 27817, 27818 | 8/1945 | |
| Washington & Old Dominion | 47 | 1 | 15041 | 12/1941 | |
| Washington & Old Dominion | 48, 49 | 2 | 15042, 15043 | 8/1942 | |
| Western Maryland | 75, 76 | 2 | 17930, 17935 | 7/1943, 8/1943 | |
| Winona Railroad | 440, 441 | 2 | 27820, 27821 | 8/1945 |
Canada
| Owner | Road numbers | Qty | Serial | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada & Gulf Terminal | 355 | 1 | 29991 | 12/1948 | |
| Canadian National | 3–5 | 3 | 32654–32656 | 10/1956 | Caterpillar D342, with D&MM 1 |
| Canadian National | 7751, 7752 | 2 | 28349, 28350 | 4/1947, 5/1947 | Order 281-4456. Live table had the order number in the date column |
| Greater Winnipeg Water District | 100 | 1 | 28486 | 4/1946 | |
| Greater Winnipeg Water District | 101 | 1 | 30251 | 9/1949 | |
| National Harbours Board | D-1 | 1 | 28489 | 4/1946 | |
| Thurso & Nation Valley | 4 | 1 | 28485 | 1/1946 |
Export
| Owner | Road numbers | Qty | Serial | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Alto Cedro (Cuba) | 3 | 1 | 31221 | 11/1951 | |
| Central Alto Cedro (Cuba) | 3 (2nd) | 1 | 31222 | 11/1951 | |
| Central Patria (Cuba) | 1 (2nd) | 1 | 31223 | 12/1951 | |
| F.C. Cubano Hershey (Cuba) | 16–18 | 3 | 31226–31228 | 3/1952 | |
| United Fruit Sugar, Central Boston (Cuba) | 123, 124 | 2 | 30468, 30469 | 9/1950 | |
| United Fruit Sugar, Central Preston (Cuba) | 24, 25 | 2 | 30466, 30467 | 9/1950 | |
| Central Rio Haina (Dominican Republic) | 1 | 1 | 31230 | 4/1952 | |
| Sidérurgique du Nord de la France | 57, 58 | 2 | 31106, 31107 | 3/1951 | |
| Sidérurgique du Nord de la France | 59 | 1 | 30629 | 9/1950 | |
| Sidérurgique du Nord de la France | 60 | 1 | 30727 | 9/1950 | |
| Usinor (France) | 697 | 1 | 32256 | 8/1954 | |
| Bhakra Dam (India) | — | 3 | 32067–32069 | 6/1953–7/1953 | 66-inch gauge |
| SCOP (Mexico) | 23022 | 1 | 15756 | 12/1942 | |
| SCOP (Mexico) | 23023 | 1 | 27795 | 6/1945 | |
| SCOP (Mexico) | 23024 | 1 | 27801 | 7/1945 | |
| SCOP (Mexico) | 23025 | 1 | 27816 | 7/1945 | |
| SCOP (Mexico) | 23026 | 1 | 27796 | 6/1945 | |
| SCOP (Mexico) | 24400 | 1 | 29075 | 11/1947 | |
| Arabian-American Oil (Saudi Arabia) | A11x52 | 1 | 28341 | 2/1947 | |
| Arabian-American Oil (Saudi Arabia) | A11x53 | 1 | 29074 | 11/1947 | |
| Arabian-American Oil (Saudi Arabia) | 103, 104 | 2 | 30255, 30256 | 3/1950 | |
| Arabian-American Oil (Saudi Arabia) | 105 | 1 | 31117 | 8/1951 | |
| Stora Kopparberg (Sweden) | 10 | 1 | 29960 | 6/1948 | |
| Trinidad Government Railways | 54, 55 | 2 | 32070, 32071 | 12/1953 | |
| AFE (Uruguay) | 401–403 | 3 | 31118–31120 | 9/1951 | |
| AFE (Uruguay) | 404–410 | 7 | 32135–32141 | 4/1954 |
Australia’s four Lend-Lease units (NSW 7920–7923) and the U.S. military 44-ton list are Extra 2200 South / Diesel Shop military pages, not this commercial table. Buda 6DH1742 ten-unit list is Marre; those serials sit in the Phase II window.
What remains
Class I 44-tonners went to scrap, short lines, and museums in the 1960s. The type never really left industrial and tourist service. The Diesel Shop keeps a survivor list that moves as museums trade engines: Santa Fe 460s in California and Kansas, Quincy 3 at Portola, Western Maryland 76 at Arkville, Union Pacific DS1399 at Danbury, CN 7752 in Nova Scotia, Arcade & Attica 110 on display and 111 still a spare. Dansville & Mount Morris 1, the last catalog unit, has been reported on the Charlotte Southern. Status changes. Treat any operating claim as a phone call, not a caption.
The 90,000-pound rule is gone. The center-cab silhouette is not. A 33-foot GE with a Caterpillar under each hood is still what a mill track looks like when the mill still has a track.
Related reading on American-Rails.com
- General Electric locomotives · GE 70-tonner · U-boats
- Diesel locomotives · Plymouth (industrial switchers)
- Pennsylvania · Boston & Maine · Missouri Pacific · International-Great Northern
- Erie · B&O · Lackawanna · Frisco
Sources
- General Electric, Apparatus Department. 380-HP, 44-Ton Diesel Electric Railroad Locomotive: For Yard Switching and Road Service. Schenectady, 1947. Length, weight, 380 hp rating, 35 mph
- Hayden, Bob. Diesel Locomotives: Cyclopedia, Volume 2. Milwaukee: Kalmbach, 1980. Welded B-B trucks
- Marre, Louis A. Diesel Locomotives: The First 50 Years. Milwaukee: Kalmbach, 1995. Buda 6DH1742 ten-unit note; early diesel context
- Solomon, Brian. GE Locomotives: 110 Years of General Electric Motive Power. St. Paul: MBI, 2003. 90,000-pound rule
- Reed, Jay. Critters, Dinkys & Centercabs. Whittier: Rio Hondo, 2000. GE industrial line from the 25-tonner of 1938
- Pinkepank, Jerry A. The Second Diesel Spotter’s Guide. Milwaukee: Kalmbach, 1973, p. 158. Military drop-cab 45-ton weight
- The Diesel Shop. John Komanesky, GE 44-ton production roster (revised Dec. 24, 2016) and military 44-ton roster; 90,000-pound-rule Class I photo review. Extra 2200 South; Moser and Lehmuth GE builder records; Dallner batch/order numbers
- Rapido Trains, “General Electric 44-Ton Diesel Masterclass.” Phase I–V spotting and counts; Phase V short Air Force/Navy subphase
- Rail Heritage Publications. Early Diesel-Electric and Electric Locomotives. Simmons-Boardman, 1983
- Live American-Rails GE, 70-tonner, diesel, Pennsylvania, Boston & Maine, Missouri Pacific, International-Great Northern, Erie, B&O, Lackawanna, and Frisco pages as linked above
Recent Articles
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Wabash Diesel Roster (All-Time)
Oct 31, 26 12:35 AM
Wabash diesel locomotives, each frame once, through the lease at 12:01 a.m. on October 16, 1964. -
Wabash Steam Roster (Built Since 1900)
Oct 31, 26 12:30 AM
Wabash steam locomotives built since 1900. Moguls, Mikados, Mountains, and the O-1 Northerns. -
Wabash Railroad: Map, Rosters, History, Logo
Oct 31, 26 12:28 AM
History of the Wabash Railroad, from the Northern Cross of 1838 to the Norfolk & Western lease at 12:01 a.m. on October 16, 1964. Follow the Flag. Steam and diesel rosters are separate pages. -
Court Clears $257.7 Million in Notes for Brightline Florida
Oct 31, 26 12:18 AM
A New Jersey bankruptcy court on October 29, 2026 authorized $257.7 million in notes for Brightline Trains Florida. The operating company is not one of the 17 debtor holding companies. -
Brightline West Still Waiting on a $6 Billion Federal Loan
Oct 31, 26 12:11 AM
Brightline West said October 27, 2026 that it is still working through a $6 billion federal loan and still talks about opening in 2029. The Florida restructuring is a separate company. -
BNSF Reopens the Gallup Subdivision After New Mexico Flooding
Oct 31, 26 12:06 AM
BNSF said October 28, 2026 that both Gallup Subdivision main tracks are back after flooding near Laguna, New Mexico. The El Paso Subdivision was still out of service. -
CSX Says Interchange Is Moving Again After a Technology Outage
Oct 31, 26 12:01 AM
CSX said October 29, 2026 that interchange with other Class I railroads is moving again after a technology outage that began October 27. Dispatching and positive train control stayed up. -
Baldwin "Baby Face" Locomotives: Specs, Photos, Roster
Oct 30, 26 11:01 PM
Baldwin's Babyface cab on the early road diesels: 50 short-cab units, 1946-1948, plus the related Centipede. Construction numbers, specs, and the sharknose that followed. -
California High-Speed Rail Chief Resigns
Oct 30, 26 08:36 PM
Ian Choudri resigned October 28, 2026 as chief executive of the California High-Speed Rail Authority. The board named Joe Stephenshaw interim chief executive. -
The 1910 Portal Bridge Is Handed Over for Demolition
Oct 30, 26 04:03 PM
Amtrak handed the 1910 Portal Bridge over for demolition on October 29, 2026, during the final cutover to Portal North. Regular NJ Transit and Amtrak schedules are expected November 15. -
Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern Merger Review Runs to 2027
Oct 30, 26 03:59 PM
Union Pacific says the Surface Transportation Board's review of the Norfolk Southern merger gathers information through May 28, 2027. A closing still depends on board approval. -
Amtrak Board Will Hear Restructuring Comments on November 10
Oct 30, 26 03:41 PM
Amtrak's board will hear public comments on its restructuring on November 10, 2026, from 2 to 3 p.m. Eastern. Written comments were due October 30. A proposal goes to the board in December. -
Canadian Pacific Selkirk 5931 Restored in Calgary
Oct 30, 26 01:36 PM
Heritage Park in Calgary unveiled a cosmetic restoration of Canadian Pacific 2-10-4 No. 5931 on October 27, 2026. One of two surviving Selkirks. It stays on display. -
Gettysburg Railway to Host Steam for Lincoln
Oct 30, 26 01:18 PM
Northern Central Railway of York No. 17 will recreate Lincoln's arrival at Gettysburg on November 18, 2026, with public steam trips November 19-21. -
NC&StL No. 576 to Steam for the Public in Nashville
Oct 30, 26 01:00 PM
Nashville Steam will fire NC&StL 4-8-4 No. 576 for the public on November 7, 2026, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at 220 Willow Street. Admission is free. -
Pennsylvania Railroad E8s Join the T1 Trust
Oct 30, 26 12:38 PM
The T1 Trust has acquired former Pennsylvania Railroad E8A diesels 5702A and 5761A from the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society. They are bound for Cumberland. -
Ligonier Valley Railroad: History, Roster, Timetable
Oct 30, 26 12:03 PM
The Ligonier Valley Railroad ran 10.5 miles from Latrobe to Ligonier, Pennsylvania. Opened December 1, 1877. Last day August 31, 1952. -
Toledo, Peoria & Western Diesel Roster (All-Time)
Oct 30, 26 10:25 AM
Toledo, Peoria & Western diesel locomotives, each frame once. Thirteen Alcos, three Lima-Hamilton switchers, and 26 Electro-Motive units. -
Toledo, Peoria & Western Steam Roster
Oct 30, 26 09:14 AM
Toledo, Peoria & Western steam locomotives from the Rogers Consolidations of 1895 through the 4-8-4s of 1937 -
Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway: Map, Roster, History
Oct 29, 26 11:12 PM
History of the Toledo, Peoria & Western. The Peoria & Oquawka, George P. McNear, the Santa Fe and Pennsylvania years, and the railroad that came back in 1989. -
Cotton Belt Diesel Roster (All-Time)
Oct 29, 26 07:58 PM
St. Louis Southwestern diesel locomotives, each frame once. Baldwin switchers, F units, and new Cotton Belt-lettered power through the GP60s of May 1990. -
Cotton Belt Steam Roster (Built Since 1900)
Oct 29, 26 06:52 PM
St. Louis Southwestern steam locomotives built since 1900. Consolidations, Ten-Wheelers, and twenty class L-1 4-8-4s. The quantity column is 297. -
Cotton Belt Railroad: Map, Logo, History, Rosters
Oct 29, 26 10:56 AM
History of the St. Louis Southwestern, the Cotton Belt Route. The Tyler Tap, Paramore's silver spike, the Thebes Bridge, the Blue Streak, and Southern Pacific control. Steam and diesel rosters are sep… -
Pere Marquette Steam Roster (Built Since 1900)
Oct 28, 26 11:54 PM
Pere Marquette steam locomotives built since 1900. Consolidations, Mikados, Pacifics, and 39 Berkshires. The quantity column is 503. -
Pere Marquette Diesel Roster (All-Time)
Oct 28, 26 11:48 PM
Pere Marquette diesel locomotives, each frame once. Two SW1s, 14 NW2s, three GE 70-tonners, eight E7As, and six BL2s delivered lettered Chesapeake and Ohio. The quantity column is 33. -
Pere Marquette Railway: Map, Logo, Rosters, History
Oct 28, 26 11:44 PM
History of the Pere Marquette Railway. Timber roads, the Prince years, the Van Sweringens, the Ludington car ferries, and the Chesapeake and Ohio merger of June 6, 1947. -
Nickel Plate Road (Railroad): Map, History, Rosters
Oct 28, 26 10:51 PM
History of the Nickel Plate Road, the New York, Chicago and St. Louis. The Seney syndicate, the Van Sweringens, the Berkshires, and the Norfolk and Western absorption at 12:01 a.m. on October 16, 1964… -
Nickel Plate Diesel Roster (All-Time)
Oct 28, 26 10:48 PM
Nickel Plate diesel locomotives, each frame once. Alco switchers and PAs, GP7s and GP9s, and the GP30s. The quantity column is 440. The 1950 fleet was 117. -
Nickel Plate Steam Roster (Built Since 1900)
Oct 28, 26 10:43 PM
Nickel Plate steam locomotives built since 1900, including the Lake Erie and Western, the Clover Leaf, and the Wheeling engines that took Nickel Plate numbers. The quantity column is 786. -
EMD "E9" Locomotives: Specs, Roster, History
Oct 28, 26 10:37 PM
EMD E9 cab units and boosters, 2,400 horsepower, built April 1954 through January 1964. Gear ratios, specifications, and the production roster by owner, serial, and order. -
NYC 4-6-4 #5344, "Commodore Vanderbilt"
Oct 28, 26 04:31 PM
NYC J-1e Hudson 5344, the Commodore Vanderbilt. Alco, November 1931. Carl Kantola’s shroud, December 1934, then a Dreyfuss bullet nose in 1939. Scrapped at Collinwood in 1954. -
New Jersey, Indiana & Illinois Railroad: A South Bend Shortline
Oct 28, 26 11:05 AM
The New Jersey, Indiana & Illinois, the Jersey Line, ran from South Bend to Pine. Singer built it in 1905. Wabash stock control came in 1926. Two diesels, and the steam the record names. -
Monon Diesel Roster (All-Time)
Oct 28, 26 10:13 AM
Monon diesel locomotives, each frame once. F3s, nine BL2s, the C420s, and eight U23Bs. The quantity column is 96. The 1951 fleet was 57. -
Monon Steam Roster (Built Since 1900)
Oct 28, 26 10:09 AM
Monon steam locomotives built since 1900. Twelve-Wheelers, Mikados, light Pacifics, and thirteen six-wheel switchers. The quantity column is 148. -
Monon Railroad: Map, Photos, History, Logo
Oct 28, 26 09:55 AM
History of the Monon, the Hoosier Line. The New Albany & Salem, the X at Monon, Barriger's streamliners, and the Louisville & Nashville merger of July 31, 1971. -
Missouri-Kansas-Texas Diesel Roster (All-Time)
Oct 28, 26 09:48 AM
All-time diesel roster of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas. 406 locomotives, each frame once. Baldwin switchers, Alco cab units, F units, Geeps, and the SD40-2s. -
Missouri-Kansas-Texas Steam Roster (Built Since 1900)
Oct 28, 26 09:43 AM
Missouri-Kansas-Texas steam locomotives built since 1900. Moguls, Mikados, Pacifics, and the narrow-gauge shop tanks. The quantity column is 715. -
Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad (Katy): Map, History, Rosters
Oct 27, 26 11:02 PM
History of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas, the Katy. The race into Indian Territory, Gould, the 1923 railroad, the Texas Special, and the 1988 sale. Steam and diesel rosters are linked. -
Soo Line Diesel Roster (All-Time)
Oct 27, 26 10:55 PM
All-time diesel roster of the Soo Line and the Wisconsin Central. 786 locomotives, each frame once. Cab units, Geeps, the Milwaukee Road engines, and the SD60s. The South Shore's 24 stay on that page. -
Soo Line Steam Roster (Built Since 1900)
Oct 27, 26 10:49 PM
Soo Line and Wisconsin Central steam locomotives built since 1900. Consolidations, Mikados, Pacifics, 21 Mountains, and four Lima 4-8-4s. -
Soo Line Railroad: Map, Logo, History, Rosters
Oct 27, 26 10:24 PM
The Soo Line, from the flour millers' railroad around Chicago to the Sault, the Wisconsin Central, and the Milwaukee Road. Steam quantity 422. Diesels 786. Canadian Pacific took full control in 1990. -
Minneapolis, Northfield and Southern Railway: Map, History, Rosters
Oct 27, 26 10:32 AM
The Minneapolis, Northfield & Southern, the Dan Patch Line that became a Twin Cities belt. Steam, gas-electric mules, motor cars, and the 22 diesels, through the Soo Line. -
Minneapolis & St. Louis Diesel Roster (All-Time)
Oct 27, 26 10:27 AM
All-time diesel roster of the Minneapolis & St. Louis. 97 locomotives, each frame once. Switchers from 1938, 35 RS-1s, the FT and F-unit cabs, two SD7s, and 23 GP9s. Builder numbers included. -
Minneapolis & St. Louis Steam Roster (Post 1900)
Oct 27, 26 10:25 AM
Minneapolis & St. Louis steam locomotives built since 1900. Moguls, Consolidations, 35 Mikados, and five Pacifics. -
Minneapolis and St Louis Railway: "The Peoria Gateway"
Oct 27, 26 09:52 AM
The Minneapolis & St. Louis, the Tootin' Louie, from the 1870 charter to the Peoria Gateway and the Chicago & North Western sale on November 1, 1960. -
Alco "PA" Locomotives: Restoration, Specs, Engine, Rosters
Oct 27, 26 12:12 AM
Alco's PA passenger cab, 297 locomotives built from 1946 to 1953. The 244 engine, the production roster, the Delaware & Hudson PA-4s, and Nickel Plate Road 190. -
Milwaukee Road Diesel Roster: (All Time)
Oct 26, 26 01:44 PM
All-time diesel roster of the Milwaukee Road. 1,208 locomotives, each frame once. Alco, Baldwin, Davenport, EMD, Fairbanks-Morse, General Electric, and Whitcomb, with builder numbers. -
Milwaukee Road Steam Roster (All-Time): Post-1900
Oct 26, 26 01:38 PM
Milwaukee Road steam locomotives built since 1900. Prairies, Mikados, the N-class articulateds, the S-class 4-8-4s, and the Hiawatha Atlantics and Hudsons. Quantity column 1,974. Unique frames 1,951. -
Milwaukee Road: Map, Electrification, Logo, History
Oct 26, 26 01:20 PM
The Milwaukee Road, from the Milwaukee & Mississippi of 1850 to the Pacific Coast Extension, the Hiawathas, and the Soo Line sale. Why Lines West should have stayed. -
Lake Superior & Ishpeming Railroad: Map, Roster, History
Oct 25, 26 11:38 PM
Lake Superior & Ishpeming Railroad, reporting mark LSI, from the Marquette Range to the Presque Isle ore dock. The 1954 steam list and the diesels the railroad owned.
